Atlas
by SiempreNunca
Summary: AU Villians are scum; they trash the world on a whim because they have a vendetta with everything they see. With so little chances at present to survive their schemes, they have no choice but to return to a time where something must be done. Even if it comes with a sacrifice. NarutoisMinato! Timetravel
1. In the Country of the Blind

**.**

ATLAS

 **.**

* * *

ミ ナ ト

 ** _Chapter One_**

 _In the Country of the Blind,_

 _the One-eyed Man is King_

ナルト

* * *

Naruto had always known that karma had a thing for kicking him in the ass when he was down, but this definitely went to new lengths. He shouldn't be surprised, though. If anything, this was awfully predictable; as it was, following the norm, his luck went the same: stuff happened, everything undoubtedly effed up because of said stuff and then it only went downhill from there.

This last screw up of his must be his worst, however. Madara- evil mastermind, overlord Madara- had put his latest scheme in place and like a moron he had failed for it, going headfirst for the bait.

For once, the bastard had gone for simplicity. Plain and simple- but in execution, flawless. The Uchiha knew exactly where to strike; after all, he had in his disposal the one minion that could lure him as easily as they had.

It was more than enough.

He felt him first, a slight disturbance in the breeze. At the blatant sign of a foreign presence nearby, Naruto stopped and his team tensed around him with well-earned wariness, waiting for instructions.

And then...

... after so many months of searching for him in vain, their eyes locked. They were in the middle of a clearing just in the outskirts of where Konoha began and Naruto _just happened_ to be returning from his daily scouting rounds around the village's walls along with his team. Those frigging eyes, however, without any hint of the Sharingan but complemented by a somewhat triumphant smirk, taunted him from afar.

"Sasuke," Ino hissed angrily beside him. Shino's bugs were kicking up a storm, a clear sign of his agitation.

"Dobe," the missing-nin ignored them.

The shock didn't last long. Angry beyond comprehension, the blond snapped.

He was on a warpath.

"Sasuke!" Naruto howled in sync with his tenant and in that moment his nails were every bit as dangerous as the poisoned kunai he had on him. The brunt of his promptu one-tailed transformation was lost on him as he pounced on his prey, intent on ripping him to shreds. The two remaining thirds of his team followed his incentive with distinctive vigor. A massive swarm of kikaichū surrounded Naruto, seconded by several well-aimed kunai heading directly towards Sasuke's throat.

From there on, it was a game of cat and mouse.

Somewhere in the middle of it, however, there was an ambush and his teammates had to stay behind to take care of the Zetsu clones. Naruto didn't doubt for a second that Shino and Ino could take care of those nuisances, dedicating only a split of second to hammer those enemies standing close to him to the ground.

He wasn't allowing himself to falter in this mission.

Naruto continued forward. The others didn't- _or couldn't_ follow.

"NARUTO! What the hell are you doing?! HEY-!"

His team's warnings were barely a dull lull to his ears as he chased after Sasuke. The woods soon swallowed their calls, even with his enhanced hearing. More hybrid than man at this point, Kurama and him slashed at the deserter's back, not even hollering in glee when they managed to scar flesh in their relentless assault.

Sasuke was speeding up. That was not acceptable.

 **"Allow me,"** Kurama growled and he did. Trusting the old fox, Naruto spouted another tail and let the demon have better access to his actions.

He wasn't thinking. Hell, from the moment their eyes met, he was a goner. Naruto Uzumaki lost whatever rationality he had left; he gave in to his bloodthirsty instincts and threw caution to the wind without thinking twice about it. His eyes became bloody red and his nails sharpened with the desire to kill almost instantly. Now it wasn't just Kurama who resented the Uchiha, this was him reacting to Sasuke's presence so near Konoha.

His precious people…

How _dare_ he? _How dare he show up here?_ Look at him in the eyes and smirk like he was superior?! Ever since that catastrophic Kage Summit, there was this simmering rage underneath his skin that acted up each time anyone dared to mention Sasuke's name in his presence. His occasional emotional outbursts were the sole reason why he wasn't the acting Hokage at present. Perhaps understandably, as they tended to happen when he caught wind of the Akatsuki's activities, who had surprised the world by capturing every jinchūriki they could get their hands on.

Or anytime he took the time to visit the memorial stone.

Naruto was fine with the arrangement, however. Anyone who couldn't protect their precious people wasn't worth being the Hokage! He himself had failed miserably at that task. Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-baachan and Ero-sennin's death would forever weigh him down with this crippling guilt.

Hell, he even hadn't defended himself properly! Talk about pathetic!

Uchihas were scum. As a whole, the whole clan was fucked up in its head. The reason for his capture? To breathe life into the mother of monsters. The Kyūbi was the last tailed beast remaining; naturally, they would come after him and extract Kurama from the seal. Logic practically demanded it. That was the Akatsuki's goal, wasn't it? Ten tails of destruction. Ten tails necessary for world domination. Because, as always, it was revenge with these guys. If there was something the Uchiha did well as whole, it was nursing the grudge of a freakin' mountain against the world.

Sasuke did a sudden turn, just in time to dodge a strike that would have crushed his skull on impact. The Uchiha broke away from the trees and into a cave. Naruto didn't think twice before going in.

But maybe he should have.

The cave didn't have much, only a small pond deep inside its belly. The walls were bare and dripping with stale water. Insignificant details, however, couldn't hold his attention for long. Sasuke was cornered, caught quite literally between the devil and the blue sea.

"End of the road," Naruto growled. There was nowhere to run. Narrow as it was, the cave they were in didn't allow them too much wiggle room to fight without bringing down tons of rocks on their heads.

Not ideal, but he'd take it.

"Tired of running, scaredy cat?" Naruto smirked savagely, showing glistening teeth. "Sasuke Uchiha… Scared shitless of a measly genin? That's a new time low, coming from you!"

Sasuke broke into a sneer.

"You wish, deadlast," the traitor spat. Sasuke drew out Sword of Kusanagi by the hilt, yet there was still no sign of the Sharingan.

Strange. Was he… mocking him? Well, fuck him too! It wouldn't be the first time the prick underestimated him!

 **"I don't like this. The brat is too calm,"** Kurama said inside his head. **"Don't get cocky, kit. The Uchiha didn't come here because of a passing fancy."**

"Then slow and steady won't do," Naruto decided inwardly. Kurama only flexed their chakra in response. They had never claimed to be patient. Both of them were eager to sink their teeth into the bastard's neck, anyway.

A cool breeze brushed past them. Naruto thought nothing of it before jumping forward to meet Sasuke in a heated exchange of heavy blows. Demonic chakra and steel clashed angrily, hissed and danced in sync. The thrill of adrenaline was unmistakable, especially when he the stony floor started looking more than a little red-tinted than before.

Welts started appearing on his opponent's skin. Corrosive chakra was a terrible fiend for the human body. That, combined with the fact that Naruto carried demonic chakra, left Sasuke in a very poor state.

 _He deserves it._ They both knew it. They should have rejoiced on the knowledge that Sasuke was getting more and more desperate as they fought. The Uchiha's movements didn't turn sloppy, but they weren't as merciless as they could have been.

With snake-face finally gone, Sasuke didn't have a chance against him in this form. He lacked access to the cursed seal on the side of the neck and thus couldn't attain any form of aid from there. His only saving grace was his clan's precious ace under his sleeve. Which he wasn't using, for some fucking reason. It was almost too easy. Naruto was totally outclassing the infamous missing-nin and it only angered him further.

Since when was this so fucking easy?

Kurama grunted in reply.

Naruto intercepted Kusanagi again and parried the blade with ease. "Weak," he scowled. The blond tried to punch Sasuke on the face, only to have the Uchiha move mostly out of the way.

"Tch!" Sasuke was notably frustrated as he cradled his arm. It was dislocated and by the resounding crack he'd heard, Naruto knew that the bastard wouldn't be using it any time soon.

"Fight me for real, you bastard!"

Sasuke didn't reply. A slight twitch of the other's eyes was all the warning he had before he was forced to duck away from another mysterious attacker coming from above. The follow-up after that was a bit trickier to dodge, but eventually Naruto landed safely somewhere far away from the two offenders.

Make that two Uchiha.

"Obito," Naruto growled.

The Sharingan behind the orange mask creased slightly; he was eye-smiling at him, in other words. Naruto scowled darkly at this, reminded painfully of his sensei's expressions behind his own mask.

"Uzumaki Naruto… It's been a while. You are looking a bit under the weather, though. It's not every day you let yourself go so far away from your village... or fight someone so violently. Whatever happened to your optimism? Your wonderful ideals of a peaceful existence?"

"Oh, don't you dare lecture me!" Naruto yelled. "You guys fucked everything up! I'll kill you!"

"By lowering your guard like that? I'm disappointed."

Someone tapped him from behind. Lightly.

Detecting the other source of chakra nearby too late, Naruto tried to move, but soon discovered he couldn't. He noted that his coat of demonic chakra was considerably thinner than before. Furthermore, Naruto couldn't hear the fox grumping at him for his carelessness.

"Kurama?" he panicked. The tailed beast wouldn't answer his calls, "Kurama!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Naruto bellowed angrily at the two of them, unsurprised to see that the Obito standing beside the swaying Sasuke was merely a decoy.

The real masked man walked around him. He stopped in front of him and rummaged a hand into his pockets. Calmly, he showed Naruto a piece of paper with the kanji 'restrain'.

"A man has to be cautious," Obito reasoned sagely before applying pressure against the blond's chest. When he peeled off the paper, the character was gone. "One can't be too sure with a jinchūriki. You Uzumakis sure are a handful."

An invisible rope was strangling Naruto. His arms were pinned against his torso and he couldn't even twitch his fingers. His mouth felt strangely disconnected from his body.

He fell to the ground.

Tobi chuckled. "Yes, it was a good decision to use this cave. Those concealed seals work wonders. What do you think, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"Oh, that's cold!" Obito- Tobi- laughed.

Sasuke didn't offer an answer, only observed. Those coal-black eyes stared at the spectacle impassively as his comrade in arms started planting seals on every inch of his skin.

Cold detachment. That was all the bastard was feeling. Naruto really shouldn't be surprised, but it still hurt how little the Uchiha cared about him and everyone his former teammate once considered his friends. Or were they? What was friendship to an avenger who would ditch his village to honor the wish of a mass murderer? Naruto could already feel that annoying bit of him, the one that still believed that some redeeming quality was left in Sasuke in spite of the overwhelming odds, shattering into thousands of pieces.

His teammate, the missing-nin, never cared. Even when Naruto, in his naivety, was talking about dragging him back to the village and preaching the value of friendship and comradery, Sasuke never cared.

Naruto had always cared enough for the two of them.

But Sasuke-never-cared!

Overwhelming rage bubbled up inside of him. At that moment, Naruto wanted nothing more than to kill the traitor.

"Screw… you!" he mouthed to him with difficulty.

Sasuke, panting and still clutching his arm, inclined his head in his direction, perhaps recognizing the emotion pouring out of his blue eyes and respecting the need to play the avenger.

He turned to Obito.

"With this I completed my end of the bargain. Are you going to keep your word?" asked Sasuke snidely.

"Uchiha Madara always keeps his word," said Obito. "You'll have your eyes. Soon. Be patient."

Sasuke scowled darkly. He was never one to be patient. "Then I am leaving."

"Aw… But don't you want to see what will happen to your friend, Sasuke-kun?" Obito asked, sugar-coating his words to a point that made Naruto want to gag. This wasn't the Obito Kakashi had grown with. Everything he did screamed to the heavens of his insanity. There was no hint that suggested that he retained a shred of reason within him.

"No."

Then Sasuke met his accusing glare once more and fled the scene.

Naruto didn't mind all that much. If he couldn't at least give the bastard a black eye then he was pretty sure that he didn't want him any place near him.

"A pity... The boy had such promise," Obito chuckled darkly, "but I am afraid that his usefulness has expired. Couldn't even tell that his chakra is partially sealed."

Naruto's eyes widened minutely. He would have gaped, if he could.

Surely… wasn't saying what he thought he was saying?

Obito caught the movement with his eyes and outright _laughed._

"You ridiculous boy! How can you care about him this much!" The deranged man decked him on the face for giving him the stink eye. Naruto would have hollered at him for that, except that the bastard had done something to his face that kept him from opening his mouth. Briefly, almost hysterically, he wondered if there wasn't a part of him that wasn't covered in ink. It wasn't a nice thought.

Soon, breathing became a chore.

Obito cackled.

"Minato-sensei would be so disappointed in you. You are so weak, it's not even funny! Without the Kyūbi, you are worthless."

His fingers were on the verge of twitching when most of the seals the insane villain had planted started glowing. The world crackled ominously for a second and exploded in pain in the next as one of the seals started electrocuting him into submission.

For a minute there, he nearly blacked out. It took a lot of him to recover and focus on his surroundings. As it was, many of his limbs were jolting sporadically with the undercurrent of electricity remaining in his body.

"I am doing you a favour, you know." Somewhere to his right, Obito crouched to his level. Uneasy with the proximity, he very pointedly didn't look into his eye.

"You wanted world peace? Here you have it."

What peace? What the hell was he talking about?

"Soon enough you'll find that even scum have their uses. You'll bring peace into the world, Naruto. So you're a good boy in the end."

* * *

A jinchūriki doesn't survive the extraction of the tailed beast sealed in them. Torture doesn't begin to cover it. It lasts for days and days and days… Time stretches and you lose yourself in the pain. You forget yourself as you are torn from inside out.

You also forget yourself when the pain suddenly vanishes.

Another mortal would have crumbled from pure relief. Naruto forced himself back on his shaky limbs and ignored the building sobs that threatened to escape his lips. He was never gladder of being inside of his mindscape. The pain was actually bearable now, like a faint prod in the back of his brain.

Kurama wasn't quite so lucky. The tailed beast was struggling to remain still, grasping at the bars of the cage that had all but prevented his escape before with all of his limbs and tails. Unfortunately for him, though, they lightened up with sparks of electricity from time to time, in an attempt to force him to let go, as they were originally meant to do. Naruto winced in sympathy for the demon fox. Only one of those shocks would have fried him to death instantly.

It was such a shame, however, that a thin trail of chakra still managed to seep into the darkness, no doubt oozing out of the seal like a gaping wound, despite the fox's struggles. Had he'd been free, Kurama's roars could have razed entire mountains from sheer fury and desperation.

Almost reluctantly, Naruto stumbled into view, resigning himself to the last telling off he would receive in his life. His mangled footwear created waves in the sewer's water, making no effort to conceal his presence.

Instantly, his tenant's entire attention was on him.

 **"NARUTO! I should have known your stupid obsession with the Uchiha brat would have been our downfall! All those years of training can do nothing to correct that dumb skull of yours!"**

The blond winced in shame at the resounding exclamation. He knew it was true; his biggest failing was his thick-headedness. Because of it they had been easy prey and now they were dealing with the harsh consequences of his actions.

"Enough of that, fuzzball! You were just as involved in this as me!" he growled in an aggravated manner.

 **"WE** ** _BOTH_** **GOT CARRIED AWAY! HOWEVER, AS MY CONTAINER IT IS YOU WHO HAS THE FINAL SAY, NO MATTER MY INTENTIONS IN THE MATTER!"**

"No, no, no! You aren't making me take the blame, you stupid fox!"

 **"WHATEVER HAPPENED TO YOUR COMMON SENSE? OR YOU BRAIN?"** the demon snorted, **"YOU GAVE US UP!"**

"SHUT UP! Do you know anything that could help us get out of this, yes or no?" he asked- more like he demanded of the bijū. Having a knowledgeable demon in your gut came with a lot of perks; no one could claim that the old fox didn't know his stuff. The tailed beast's knowledge was vast and extremely useful on occasions. If anyone would know how to escape this death trap, it would be him.

 **"Short of going back on time, all we can do is wait for our deaths! You stupid kit, don't you know anything about self-restraint, do you? Madara must have prepared ahead! Any rescue teams they send after us won't reach us on time! We are dead because of your foolishness!"**

"I KNOW THAT! You don't need to rub it in my face every time you talk, you know!"

 **"MAYBE IF I DO YOU'LL LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE! I'D HATE TO SEE YOU DIE BEFORE YOU SAW THE SEVERITY OF YOUR DECISIONS!"**

"UGH! SHUT UP! Seriously, we don't have time for this! Tell me about that time thingy you mentioned!" Naruto griped, arms crossed across his chest.

 **"Impossible, kit. You need a sacrifice for that jutsu! So unless you are willing to give up your own existence in order to correct this, we are stuck here!"**

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Sacrifice? What do you mean by that?"

Kurama was about to respond, when a third party cut into their conversation. "I'll have to ask you to be more specific."

Naruto whirled around in surprise, dread filling him at the thought of Madara invading his mindscape as well. What he met instead made him grin in relief. How could he not? His father's chakra was still active inside of him despite all of what was happening.

Kurama's eyes zeroed in on the scruffy-looking human that had joined them so abruptly. Other than his miserable appearance- golden locks in disarray and white cloak looking charred and torn in places-, this person was unmistakably his last sealer.

 **"FOURTH,"** he growled.

"Kyūbi," Minato greeted just as curtly. However, his aloofness was ruined by his emotional son. Naruto practically launched himself at him, his hug tight and needy as he looked him over. His blue eyes were welling up in tears.

"How?" Naruto choked out.

His father gave him a brittle smile. "This is what remains of me in the seal."

 _This is the last time you'll ever see me._

Naruto's tears began rolling down his cheeks, but the younger blond forced himself to smile. "Well, I get to see you before I die. I can't ask for more, right?"

"Yes," Minato answered- vehemently and dead serious. "Yes, you can ask for so much more than that."

Naruto frowned in consternation.

 **"YOU ASKED ME ABOUT THAT JUTSU, FOURTH."**

The harsh statement interrupted their tender moment like glass cutting into skin. Minato straightened immediately and turned to the massive fox glowering down at him. Naruto scowled back at him for the interruption, but didn't say anything to agitate the old fox. Even he could appreciate the tenseness of this encounter.

"I'm interested in performing it," Minato replied smoothly.

"AT THE COST OF YOUR OWN SON?"

The tailed beast was positively roaring now. Naruto gaped at the back of his father, not sure if he was saying what he thought he had said.

"No," Minato's eyes were steely, trying to stare down the magnificent beast. "I'm offering myself as the sacrifice."

Save for the water dripping in the sewers and the clashing waves lapping at their feet, everything was still for a few moments.

"What?" Naruto looked at the two of them, not quite following.

 **"I DON'T THINK YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE OFFERING, HUMAN."** The Nine Tails lowered his muzzle until it was almost touching the Fourth Hokage's face. Clearly an intimidation tactic, but not enough to make Minato balk at the closeness. His slitted pupil reflected the human's unimpressed face. **"YOU ARE OFFERING SOMETHING GREATER THAN YOUR LIFE THIS TIME- YOU'LL FORFEIT YOUR OWN EXISTENCE IF YOU CARRY ON WITH THIS FOOLISHNESS."**

"Do you have a better solution?" Minato asked softly, "Because if you do, I am all ears. As a matter of fact, I know exactly what I would-"

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! What the hell are you two talking about just now? Sacrifice? Existence?" Naruto blurted.

Surprised, Minato looked at him and took in his panicking form. He sighed, ruffling his blond mane with one hand.

"I'm offering you a second chance," said Minato tiredly.

 **"DON'T LET THIS ACT FOOL YOU, KIT. THE MAN'S OFFER IS NOTHING SHORT OF COMMITING SUICIDE."**

Naruto blinked once, twice, and his face colored. He scowled.

"This isn't funny, dad."

"I'm not saying that it is," his father said sheepishly before sending a dour look in Kurama's direction, "but I don't see any other options available. Do you?"

Naruto stalked forward, grabbing the front of the dead Hokage's cloak aggressively. "Anything is better than throwing away your life! What the hell are you thinking, old man?! You are already _dead_ and now you want to lose whatever remains of you?! Is that it? Do you have so little self-esteem that you are committing suicide not once, but twice in a row?! What's wrong with you?!"

Minato only sighed, "I don't think you are seeing the point of this conversation."

"NO! _You_ are the one not making any sense here!"

His father's face was awfully impassive for someone that was being shaken so vigorously. The older man groaned feebly, "I had hoped for a more peaceful goodbye. I am very sorry for this, son."

Taking Naruto by surprise, his captive slipped away from his hold with a well-timed push which sent him toppling into the sewer's water. Barely any seconds later, Naruto surged to the surface again, sputtering incoherently. Almost instantly, though, he was trying to get out of the water, but something was keeping him there.

The same water that kept him afloat, Naruto soon realized, was keeping him down. In other words, he was stuck.

"DAD! WHAT THE HELL!" he hollered.

Minato was already speaking to Kurama again.

"DAD!"

"I have heard of Tamashii o Shōkyo," his father was speaking firmly, "as a matter of fact, I know every step involved with the jutsu. Either way, I _am_ going to cast it, even if you don't help me, but ultimately my chances of success are higher if you supply the chakra that's necessary for the technique."

"Dad, look at me! Don't you dare, dad! Don't you fucking dare!"

Kurama looked at him as they talked; the beast's eyes held a hint of sympathy and regret before a calculating gleam took over.

His father, though, never once looked back.

 **"YOU WANT MY HELP AND MY CHAKRA,"** Kurama repeated, baring his teeth.

"Yes."

 **"YOU ARE PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME,"** the beast grunted **. "NOTHING GUARANTEES YOUR SUCCESS AND THE KIT WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU DO THIS. HE WILL GRIEVE YOUR SACRIFICE FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE."**

"YE-YEAH! I'll be pissed, old man! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? PISSED LIKE HELL!"

"I am fairly certain that it will work," Minato assured, apparently deaf to the background noise. He sounded very sure of himself.

 **"AH, ARROGANT. AS A MATTER OF FACT, YOU SEEM TO BE COMPETENT WITH ALL SUICIDAL JUTSU, HOKAGE."**

Minato narrowed his eyes, "Be serious."

Kurama snapped his teeth in the blond's general direction. They both knew he was weakening by the moment. One slip could mean game over for them. **"VERY WELL! JUMP OFF THE CLIFF AND SLIT YOUR WRISTS, SEE IF I CARE! FOR ALL YOUR** **IMPETUOUSNESS,** **THIS SHALL BE THE END FOR YOU, FOURTH HOKAGE. FROM THIS MOMENT FORTH, YOU WON'T EXIST. ALL YOUR PAST EXPERIENCES WILL BE MEANINGLESS. ALL YOUR LEGACIES WILL BE FORGOTTEN. NOT EVEN A WHISPER OF YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS WILL ESCAPE OBLIVION. IN SHORT, YOU WILL BE WHAT NEVER WAS."**

Naruto was frozen in horror.

"I find it commendable that you care this much when we both know that you actually hate me," Minato smiled with faux cheerfulness.

Kurama narrowed his wild eyes at him.

 **"I AM MERELY LOOKING AFTER THE KIT,"** he growled with disdain, **"YOU ARE A POOR EXCUSE OF A FATHER, FOURTH HOKAGE."**

Not wanting to show how much that hurt, Minato closed his eyes and swallowed back his pain. Naruto's distress was palpable in the air, his mind warping on itself to match his very emotional state.

"Then," he said as lightly as possible, "I leave my son in your capable hands," his tone changed just as abruptly, "Just don't get controlled by that man again."

Kurama showed him all of his sharp teeth in retaliation.

 **"YOU ASKED FOR MY CHAKRA- I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU, YOU FOOL. DO YOUR JOB PROPERLY AND ENTER OBLIVION IN YOUR EAGERNESS FOR CHANGE."**

Naruto could only watch in a mix of horror and awe as his tenant unlatched one of his tails from his firm grip on the bars that sustained him. The bijū quickly repositioned himself before too much chakra was sucked out from him.

Minato walked up to Naruto and for the first time since this clusterfuck started, he looked at him directly in the eye. The older blond opened his mouth to say something and then seemed to think better about it. Naruto's impression of him was one of a grieving man. What he was grieving or for who, he didn't know.

"Dad…" Naruto tried. Tears were already being shredded and falling from his eyes. "You _really_ don't want to do this…!"

His father grimaced.

"You are right, son. I don't want to do this," Minato said sadly, "but I have no choice. I can't let you die. Not in my watch."

"Why not?!" The tail was hovering over them. "Use _me_ as the sacrifice! You'd do so much better than me in my stead!"

Minato was already shaking his head. "Don't talk like that."

"Why not?! It's true!"

"Naruto," Minato snapped at him for the first time ever, " _Don't._ "

That shut him up quickly.

His father pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and then seemed to recover his composure. His visage was solemn when he talked to him again, "You have to understand, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. Done well, you can correct a lot of wrongdoings and save many lives in the process. Obito was my biggest failure, so is Rin's death as well, now that I think about it. Not to mention that a lot can be avoided if you took out Madara before he could do some serious damage. And without the corruption of his ideals, the Uchiha could be just another honorable clan from the village. _Sasuke_ would remain loyal to the village if his brother doesn't have to follow Danzo's orders and even more tragedies will be averted if you toss him out of his position in the Council."

"Dad," Naruto sounded defeated even to his ears, "I can't do that."

"Sure you can," Minato encouraged, "You just need more confidence in yourself."

"No, _I_ _can't!_ " Naruto wasn't about to let himself get derailed. His father was signing his death warrant in front of him and he couldn't do anything to stop it! "No one will remember you!"

"Naruto..."

Stubbornly, he continued, "Not even mom, or Ero-sennin! _Nobody_ will remember you! You'll be dead, but they won't mourn you!"

Minato bit his lip, visibly distressed. "You will," he said quietly, "and that is enough for me. I trust you; you'll contain my memory just fine."

"Trust?" Naruto repeated incredulously, "YOU ALREADY SAID THAT! LOOK WHERE WE ENDED!"

His father winced at the scathing tone he had used. "Just… live a long fulfilling life for me? I am sorry for being a bad parent and for always dumping on you responsibilities I should have dealt with when I had the chance.

"And one more thing…" he hesitated briefly, Naruto's protests falling to deaf ears, "Please take good care of Kushina for me? You'll find her to be a very good friend when you finally get to know her. She's just like you in terms of personality. I'm sure that you'll get along with her just fine."

"Dad! Listen to me!"

 _Why?! Why won't you listen?!_

Minato smiled at him once more, eyes sorrowful and glistening with tears.

"I love you, son. Take care next time, you hear? I won't be able to help you anymore."

He reached for the tail…

"NO!"

"Inton: Tamashii o Shōkyo no Jutsu!"

… and the world exploded in orange.

* * *

 **"Inton: Tamashii o Shōkyo no Jutsu!"**

Literally meaning (courtesy of Google Translate), Soul Eradication Technique. In order to avoid paradoxes, the technique puts the other person's soul inside their partner and prevents the survivor user from saying anything relatable to the now inexistent future. You're basically forfeiting your future to favour your past.

This thing I created is a Yin Release jutsu, which, and I quote from Narutopedia, refers to "techniques, based on the spiritual energy that governs imagination, can be used to create form out of nothingness." Meaning: the intent behind the jutsu determines how the technique will play out in practice. Yes, the jutsu can be used to do pretty much everything (it's a pretty potent), but the price is really high. Like way, way too high, which is why it's never used in the first place.


	2. Build Character

**.**

 **4 years old**

* * *

 **ミ** **ナ** **ト**

* * *

He could no longer pronounce his name. _Naruto Uzumaki_ was a taboo that could no longer be claimed as his own.

The matron of the orphanage wrote down _Minato Namikaze_ in his inscription sheet. The information that followed it after wasn't his either.

 _Four. He was four now._

The shinobi holding his hand shifted nervously. Barely a Chuunin, the young shinobi did not have full control over his motor skills and his subconscious still betrayed him from time to time. He was understandably nervous. How could he not when Naruto was practically piercing holes with his eyes?

The old lady wasn't as affected and smiled motherly at him in welcome. With a swiftness that wasn't expected of her, she took his small hand into her wrinkled ones in a gentle handshake.

"Everything will be fine, little one. You'll be safe with us, I promise. Call me Atsuko-obaasan!"

"… Atsuko," he repeated blandly, staring at her with blank eyes. Her warm eyes dimmed a little when he disregarded the honorific straight away, just to light up with unbidden determination. Her thin lips curled into a beaming grin.

"You are a rude little thing, aren't you?" she asked. He stepped aside when she tried to reach for his chubby cheeks. She pouted, fist pumping weakly to show faux defeat. "I'll get you next time," she promised solemnly, just a bit of amusement seeping through her features.

Finally, the chuunin couldn't take it anymore. He spoke, hands twitching at his sides.

"Can I go now?"

Atsuko winked knowingly at him. "Get going, you lazy bum. I'm sure you're needed somewhere else to play the hero."

The shinobi flushed at the dismissal, but recovered soon enough. "You don't ever change, madam. The world needs more people like you," he chuckled with amusement before flash-stepping out of the building.

The matron stared for a moment and then laughed at the empty space he had been in. "Those ninja. I swear, you never know which trick they'll pull on you!"

Naruto nodded, thinking of Obito and his time-space jutsu.

"Come on! I've got a lot to show you, Minato-kun! I know that it isn't much, but my home is yours!"

Atsuko, Naruto decided grimly, was a sharp contrast to what his matron originally was. Hirako, the future matron, hadn't been affectionate with him when he was in her care. Whereas Atsuko depicted an image of a joyful grandma, eager to please her children, Hirako had been the harsh counterpart, merciless with him and whoever tried to associate themselves with 'the demon brat'. Not that it mattered; this lady was his present now. Nothing like not being a jinchuuriki to a nine-tailed fox to inspire love for him, huh.

Or maybe it was because he was in his father's body.

He caught his reflection on a mirror and promptly turned away from the whisker-free face that stared back at him. Save for the long hair, it could have passed as a mini-version of himself.

But it wasn't.

The boy wondered if Minato had known. Personally, Naruto felt a little creeped out, being in someone else's body and dictating its movements as if they were his to command. It was like being a washout version of Orochimaru, only without the intent and will to possess bodies.

Because he wasn't enjoying this. Not one bit.

He was an idiot. An idiot who somehow had ended up with a second chance he didn't deserve. Minato- the original one; _his dad, damn it!-_ was gone because of him. Because of him and his stupid decisions he...

Sasuke, Madara, Obito… All of them triggered the event. But the moron that encouraged that kind of sacrifice was…

 _I'm sorry for being a bad father…_

His grip on the matron's hand tightened.

There was no changing the truth. He was stuck. Here. Alone. Forced to start anew with a false identity that he had stolen from his own blood.

He was _what never was_ , just like his father wasn't now.

Naruto Uzumaki hadn't been strong enough to protect his precious people- and no. He didn't appreciate the irony of that statement.

The boy didn't appreciate many things these days.

For one, his obsession with orange had taken a much darker turn. The symbolism behind it didn't appeal to him now.

Red… red wasn't so much better. He could still see Tsunade being impaled by a Chidori, with blood gushing out her back as he crushed her heart.

Red was the Sharingan, part of the Uchiwa that clan wore in their back.

Red… perturbed him just as much as orange did.

Atsuko quieted all of the sudden and crouched in front of him, making him startle at the sudden proximity. Her aged face was frowning now and staring intently into his darkening cobalt eyes.

He flinched away from her hand when she tried to touch his face.

Atsuko lowered the offending hand slowly.

"I know this is hard, Minato," she muttered. "Your mother was a great woman. Not everyone would have sacrificed themselves for their child, lest in that kind of situation. The world is a scary place sometimes and not everything goes how you hope it would, but there's still the good things it has to offer.

"Sure, the people that attacked you were horrible human beings, but you have to think positive because if you don't you might as well give up now and let despair swallow you whole. Minato, you have a long life ahead of you! You can do anything in this world if you wish for it. Just put effort behind your actions and you'll do the impossible!

"Look at the ninja, look at the people in Konoha! This war is ending because we persevere. We bleed and die for our loved ones so that they reach happiness. There are hundreds of children who suffer the same you are going through, but they still smile. And you know why?"

Naruto stared, he didn't dare blink at the old lady whose face had softened into a compassionate smile.

 _Does she know?_

Her murky green eyes sparkled with conviction he hadn't seen for years.

She beamed. "Because they know they are the future."

 _They are the future._

He had seen the future. It wasn't a very nice place. The woman was just prattling meaningless nonsense.

 _She doesn't know. There is no way._

His eyes tingled unpleasantly.

Of course, she didn't know!

Atsuko pulled away from him, looking satisfied with herself as she studied him. He wasn't sure what she was seeing, but he felt that her speech hadn't imparted the message she wanted him to hear. Yet she looked so sure.

He teared up.

Why… why was he _crying?!_

Without a conscious command, his undeveloped hands grasped at the hem of her summer dress, with a grip that had nothing to do with the iron will he had once possessed a lifetime away.

The boy cracked.

"I won't see him again!" he blurted. His body quivered and dropped to his knees. "I won't see either of them again! My friends, my parents…! They are all gone now! Everyone's gone! I'm so stupid… so, so stupid!"

 _You didn't think. Just acted._

 _"_ _USE YOUR BRAINS FOR ONCE!"_

Naruto was positively sobbing now. He could only watch as the salty moisture damped the wooden floor. His shoulders were hunched and his arms trembling. Her arms wrapped around them and pulled him together when all he wanted was nothing more than break into tiny pieces.

"Sweetie," the matron cooed softly. "Don't say that. You will always remember them, in your memories."

 _I trust you._

 _…_ _because you are my son._

 _You'll contain my memory just fine._

 _Just… live a fulfilling life for me?_

Naruto's world was breaking. He knew that he was making a scene and that people were staring. Children were pointing fingers and observing sympathetically from the sidelines.

He didn't care.

He didn't care.

.

.

 _He cared. They just didn't know just how much._

* * *

 **波風湊**

* * *

"The White Fang is coming! The White Fang is coming to the orphanage!"

The door boomed as it slammed open. Warily, Naruto looked up from his book about the Clan Wars. His young body made his confused stare look even more lost than he really was.

There was only one person who barged into his room like that- his very own roommate.

Araki rolled his eyes at his subdued reaction.

"You don't know who that is, do you?" he questioned with a petulant air about him. Naruto was vaguely amused at the sight of his puffed cheeks.

After five months of sharing, the four-year-old finally got a good grasp of the brunet's personality. Araki- to put it simply- was a worshipper. His aim in life was to become as strong as the Sannin and the White Fang of Konoha- heck, everything was centered around them in the boy's life (even Snake Bastard was included in his praises, disturbingly enough). Each time someone mentioned any of his heroes, he exploded into a babbling mess, retelling their victories and adventures to the newcomers. Having heard those particular stories before from a bragging Toad Sage, Naruto took the liberty of disappearing of the room once the older boy got into it. There was much to leave desired to his storytelling skills and he had freely admitted as much when he had tried to corner him to give him a lengthy lecture about them.

Naruto pointed at one of the books sticking out from their shared bookshelf.

"I think I know enough," he muttered.

 _Let him draw his own conclusions._

Araki pouted even more.

"Fine. You _might_ know something, but not nearly as me!"

"Thank God," Naruto deadpanned. His comment, however, was blissfully ignored.

"White. Fang. Is. Coming. Here," his roommate said impatiently, as if addressing a retard. He was tapping his feet irritably, waiting for a reaction.

Naruto blinked in disbelief.

"You are not making this up, right?"

"Would I lie?" Araki adopted a faux indignant expression at the implied accusation.

The blond's blank eyes told him what he thought about that.

Araki rolled his eyes. "Come _oooon!_ You know I wouldn't lie about him! The matron was telling the staff that we would meet him at lunch so that they ought to prepare him another meal for him. We are eating steak for the first time in _months_ , seriously!"

And then the situation finally dawned on him.

"We are going to eat lunch with the White Fang!" he screamed joyfully.

Naruto yelped at the loud noise and threw the book at him. As always, it hit his forehead with ease.

"OUCH!"

"Don't do that! My ears will bleed!" He rubbed his ears, wincing at the buzzing he could still hear.

"Can you not?" Araki complained, tending to his irritated forehead with both hands. "It's always the same place too!"

"If you learned to dodge, then it wouldn't hit!" Naruto scolded playfully.

Araki scrunched his nose disdainfully. " _Please_. Minato, we both know that your aim is scary. Even if I tried I'd still fall victim to your abusive ways!"

Naruto huffed. He shuffled awkwardly in bed at the mention of his actual name, still unsure about how to act on it. The sound of it still made his skin crawl- for the same reason why he avoided looking into mirrors.

(As an unintended result, his normally unruly locks were a bird's nest sticking out from his head even in its more tame days. It was worse than before because he had grown it out, just like his father. Atsuko had threatened to cut it one too many times because of the mess.)

Naruto hid his book under the mattress. Mood irrupted by unpleasant memories, he tried to redirect the conversation before his roommate noted the change in demeanor.

"We should help then," he announced with forced cheerfulness. "The staff will have it hard if we don't help them out today."

Araki's eyes bugged out.

"You're right!" he gushed and rushed out from the room, possibly to search for more volunteers. He could hear him scream down the hallway and the annoyed yells of the other orphans telling him to shut up. Araki had no patience for the sleeping, apparently.

Naruto chuckled dryly at his antics.

"I'm Minato Namikaze," he said to the empty room. Or his lips did.

 _I'm Naruto Uzumaki._

The seal at the back of his head was burning. From experience, he knew that if he tried to touch it, it would shock him silly.

 _I hate lightning._

Chidori.

The four-year-old sighed in annoyance, eyes dark at his failure.

Not willing to waste the whole day brooding, he got up from his bed and walked out from the room. The exasperated grumbles of the children that were limping to the kitchen made his heart lighten up. Just a bit.

* * *

 **波風湊**

* * *

It was like meeting a ghost. The White Fang of Konoha was eerily similar to the Kakashi that taught him in his genin days. ( _Really, just cut that pony tail off and you have Kakashi-sensei- wait a minute! Does this mean that his face supposed to look like that? Damn, I really wanted him to have blimp-like lips!_ ) He was behaving most sheepishly, looking uncomfortable at the many awed stares his peers were throwing at him.

"You brainwashed them," Naruto admonished quietly into his friend's ear.

"Shhh! I wanna know what he's gonna say!" Araki dismissed him with spastic hands.

"Thank you for receiving me here," the revered shinobi said, voice echoing in the small room they called Dinner. He straightened his back from the intimidated slouch he was in before. The grey-haired man's eyes sharpened as he peered at the small bodies sitting around him in a circle. Seeing the sudden transformation, Naruto finally understood why the man had the reputation he had. The way the sunlight reflected off Sakumo Hatake made him look fierce, just like a leader should look like- an extremely capable warrior of their village. His voice filled the room, calm and grave, but soothing all the same. Naruto had no trouble picturing him addressing ANBU the same way. "As you know, each year the Hokage sends one of his shinobi to this orphanage to offer you to join our ranks as ninja. This year, he elected me for this important assignment," he paused and sighed.

"I won't lie. I won't sugarcoat what means to be a shinobi. There are a lot of things I did during my years of service that I'm not particularly proud of. But that doesn't mean I am not proud about serving my village and my Hokage. I defend Konoha to the best of my abilities- and that includes my friends and family as well.

"I want you to consider very carefully what you want to be in the future. Right now, you are civilians, but that won't mean much if you choose to be a shinobi. The Academy will prepare you for the battles you will face in the battlefield, so that you complete your missions successfully. There, you will learn the value of the Will of Fire and what means to defend your village against the many foes we have."

Sakumo sighed, rubbing the back of his head self-consciously. "Well, yeah… Tell me if you want to join and I'll sign you right up. I'll even take you on a tour to the Academy."

Araki took that as a cue to stand up with his hand raised, arm almost popping out of its socket because of the sudden movement upwards.

Sakumo looked at him with something akin to surprise. The six-year old was positively beaming at him.

"…Yes?" The White Fang prompted when the boy didn't speak.

"I want to join, sir!"

Naruto coughed, barely managing to suppress his laughter. For the dark looks that Araki threw him, he knew that he wasn't being subtle about it.

An older boy to their left stood up as well.

"Me too!"

Many followed their example. It was chaos.

"I wanna be a cool ninja like the Sannin!"

"What's like being a ninja, mister? Is it as awesome as it looks?"

The eagerness of the other children was staggering. There were many standing, looking as if they had discovered a gleaming goldmine, as they interrogated a very dazed Sakumo Hatake. War legend or not, the man looked like he didn't know what to do with all this attention.

"I'm joining too," Naruto announced quietly, not bothering with childish proclamations.

Araki beamed at him before frowning. "That's good and all… but I don't know if they'll let you, Minato. You're too short!"

Azure eyes flashed with determination. "I don't care! I'll just train harder than you, that's all. I already know the basics, so it won't be too hard for me."

He may have been a goofy idiot the first time around, but even a deadlast like him had picked up information here and there. Besides, he had already started with the most theory, along with the basic katas they taught at the Academy; fortunately, Atsuko had many textbooks to spare in her care.

Naruto had things to do. It wouldn't do for his father's sacrifice to be in vain.

He had been still for far too long. Naruto would go crazy if he stayed in the sidelines another month. It was only in the physical aspect that he resembled a child; his mind was too weary for the naivety that came with this place and their inhabitants.

And most of the time, being surrounded by children just became too much.

Araki shrugged nonchalantly, not asking why he knew 'the basics', "If you say so."

"Okay!" the White Fang called out. Araki immediately gave the man all his attention. His shout muffled the children's inquiries easily enough, "Everyone who wants to join will have to wait for me outside! We'll go to the Academy together! We're heading out in ten minutes!"

A little girl squealed in excitement before running out from her seat at high speeds. Naruto observed her from the corner of his eye, feeling more than seeing her low chakra signature. A wave of sadness made him look away. In times of war, girls like that were cannon fodder. If the girl didn't quit and graduated despite her low stamina she'd be one of the first to go.

In fact, now that he thought about it, there were a lot of kids here that wouldn't make it past the first year at the Academy. They were still going.

Expendable.

Was the war this vicious? So many pawns were available here at the orphanage… They were luring them into the battlefield.

The blond felt cold at the thought of so many children being massacred for the sake of war. It was eerily reminiscent to what Konoha had been reduced to after Pain, when their forces had been cut down considerably after the megalomaniac leveled their village.

This was… recruitment.

And their choice.

Quietly and dragging his feet, he followed after his more enthusiastic peers. He passed the matron and Sakumo, hearing the man's reassurances about her charges' safety.

He stopped walking when he heard propaganda bullshit he was selling Atsuko. He bit his lip, wondering if it was wise to call him out on it.

"Minato?"

Naruto looked up out of habit. The matron was looking at him with worried eyes. The White Fang, on the other hand, looked taken aback by his presence. Probably his fault for muffling the sound of his steps.

Naruto looked back at him, considering his appearance.

Hatake.

 _Yup, this is sensei's dad._

Kakashi hadn't talked about him all that much and he hadn't seen him in Konoha when he was little, which raised several questions about what happened to him. Death in battlefield was one of the foremost possibilities that occurred to him.

Naruto gnawed on his lip, lost in his thoughts.

"Are you going to the Academy, Minato?" Atsuko questioned suddenly.

Naruto looked at her- _really_ looked at her. Her posture implied she was asking something obvious, as if she already knew his response- probably did anyway. He hadn't been subtle with his choice in reading and she hadn't discouraged it either. Both knew this was a matter of time.

Sakumo was paying close attention to him now. Naruto wondered if he sensed something different with his chakra. He hadn't meditated for so long… His emotions getting the best of him when he tried.

"Yeah," he answered quietly. "I don't want to be a civilian." Because Konoha needed a Fourth Hokage, even if it was only the impostor who had replaced the real deal.

He owed his father that much.

 _You can correct a lot of wrongdoings._

 _"_ _I can't correct a lifetime of mistakes just because you want me to!"_

Naruto swallowed.

"Your chakra pathways are really developed," Sakumo commented off-handedly, as if that was something that happened regularly. "Did you have previous training, kid? Did someone show you a few tricks before coming here?"

The boy flushed scarlet out of embarrassment. "No. I learned it all by myself," he mumbled.

'Relearn' was the more appropriate word, but he couldn't exactly put that out here. This body was mostly untrained. His brain knew what to do; doing it was another different matter.

Sakumo hummed thoughtfully, "That's awfully impressive of you."

Naruto forced himself not to flinch. He knew that he looked awfully suspicious to the other ninja, but he was really a kid and he had no intentions of harming Konoha, so on the long run he shouldn´t have many complications with the other shinobi as long as he remained low. The least he wanted now was being considered as threat.

Atsuko chuckled obliviously, "I've had my fair share of your recruits here. I gave young Minato what they forgot to take when they left. You should have seen it! He devoured those books in record time! I'm not surprised he learned a thing or two from them. He's our resident prodigy!"

 _A prodigy._ She was basically saying he was a genius. _The perfect cover_. Naruto would have kissed her in that moment had she not been so far away. A million of possibilities had opened up to him right in front of his eyes because of this civilian.

He could skip ahead. The Academy didn't teach much anyway. It wasn't that much of a loss. Doing D-ranks would be much better than kidding around.

Besides, Tora hadn't been born yet.

Right?

Sakumo smiled disarmingly, "An enthusiast, huh? We need more like you in the Academy. Kids these days are always lazing around."

Naruto returned the amicable gesture hesitantly, "That was a compliment, right?"

The man laughed, "Sure."

* * *

 **-2-**

 **Build Character**


	3. Patching Up

**.**

 **4 years old**

* * *

 **ミ ナ ト**

* * *

Naruto wasn't a prodigy; he was just trying to pretend to be one. But, damn- wasn't he annoyed at the lack of progress! Class would start on Monday: in other words, his makeshift deadline was coming to a close and he wasn't getting any better in this!

As if on cue, the tiny ball of energy in his palm imploded into numerous wisps of fleeing chakra for the thirteenth time in a row. Naruto flinched back at the unexpected kickback, watching helplessly as the skin in his soft palm got torn further. From the amount of damage he received this time, this last Rasengan must have been the most powerful he had made so far. However, the problem wasn't on the amount of chakra he pulled into the technique, but rather his control over it.

Kage Bunshin had proved to be pointless in his past performances; while he still had larges reserves of chakra, the technique was too chakra demanding on his sensitive chakra coils. At most, he could do seven clones before he thoroughly exhausted himself.

(Once, he had tried making ten at a time. He fainted instantly, causing alarm back in the orphanage when he didn't come home for the whole night. Needless to say, Atsuko hadn't taken kindly his absence and had grounded him for a whole week. It didn't matter that he was mentally older than he physically appeared; when the woman was mad, she was _mad._ It was the only time her hair wasn't tied up in a bun and he was still convinced that her bleach-white hair had swirled ominously behind her when she saw him the morning after.)

Blood started oozing from his small injuries, dripping onto the dirt. Naruto scrunched his nose at the shredded skin, his hands coating themselves with healing chakra almost automatically at this point.

"And Sakura-chan saves the day again," he mumbled, watching as the wounds closed seemingly on their own.

Healing yourself consciously was different from anything he had ever experienced. Technically, when you used the Mystical Palm you were coaxing your own cells into reproducing themselves faster than you normally would, much like he did unconsciously with his passive regeneration. Before, though, Naruto would have labelled the whole thing as incredibly weird, but now that jutsu was his life-saver. Otherwise, he would walk around with tons of bandages wrapped tightly around his hands, which would raise several questions from the nosy people who interacted with him on a daily basis.

Unwanted attention was a big no; just look at Danzo and his troupe of zombified ANBU. The least he wanted was anyone to question his outdoor activities. Lest be brainwashed himself. And that was surely a disaster waiting to happen if he developed a new technique based on chakra manipulation and someone caught wind of it.

So yeah: her medic teammate was brilliant in more ways than one. He suspected Sakura had taught him the technique on a whim, knowing that in all likelihood he wouldn't need to use it because of his tenant (who had so graciously provided him with unnaturally fast healing rates that were way off the scale), but now he couldn't help but be incredibly grateful that she did. It had been fun. Being with Sakura was always fun.

Naruto winced at her memory. He really ought to think of her in the past tense now. Even if they met this time around, she wouldn't be his teammate… or his friend. He was just depressing himself unnecessarily.

Damn, even thinking about Kurama was upsetting. When he finally saw that old fox he was kicking his ass to Sunday! The stupid fox was just as guilty of this just as he was!

The boy's dark emotions put a sudden stop on the medical jutsu, his hands shining with blue energy instead of that pale green that characterized the technique. He started shaking from pure agitation.

He didn't have his friends to support him.

He couldn't make clones.

He couldn't rasengan his enemies into smithereens.

What the fuck was he supposed to do?!

His resources were forcefully cut. The Rasengan and Kage Bunshin weren't the only things he was having trouble with. Naruto hadn't even attempted using natural energy, as it would be practically suicide, considering his poor chakra reserves. He would sooner turn into stone than be successful in controlling that kind of energy with his chakra pathways like they were now. Not to mention that he didn't have an actual summon to aid him in the process.

"This is fucking hilarious," he snarled, punching the bark of a tree. The whole thing shook from the sheer force of the overcharged punch. Birds fled overhead in panic from the overwhelming killing intent Naruto was showering the training grounds with. "So fucking funny, I can't even laugh!"

He bit one of his hands and screamed into it, the sound muffled by the appendage. By the end of his raging outburst, his hand was bleeding again.

Naruto sighed shakily and applied the Mystic Palm again.

The wounds closed anew.

"Okay," he said to the empty field. It was just lucky that no one was around to witness his loss in control. "Really, what the heck _can_ I do?"

His whole fighting style was based on Kage Bunshin, including the creation of his rasengans. Neither were easy on him right now, mainly because the massive drain in energy, which could be fatal in battle conditions. Even now he could sense how exhausted really was, still under the haze of adrenaline.

He supposed that he _could_ rely on the few wind-based attacks he knew. Luckily, they had proven to be still useful to the preteen, even if they were a little rough around the edges because of their lack of practice (the blond tended to overpower them with energy he really couldn't afford to waste). But that didn't mean he wanted to depend on them.

It was sad, really, how much Rasengan meant to him on the long run. He had so many variations of that same attack, but they would continue to escape his grasp as long as he had difficulties with forming the most basic forms of the chakra sphere (never mind meeting all of the other necessary requirements in order to spout multiple rasengans like it was nobody's business).

Naruto scowled. He had worked hard on those moves. That he had to relearn all of them again grated on his nerves more than it should. But it really couldn't be helped. With all this timetraveling issue, both his late father and Fuzzball had effectively rendered his prior fighting style useless. Which meant, he had to start from scratch. Again.

The blond's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed.

Shaking hands formed the seals quickly, jumping from one another with furious speed.

Ram, Snake, Tiger!

"Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Instantly, a mirage of himself puffed into existence. A young Minato with a white sweatshirt looked back at him. They both grimaced at the same time.

"It'll take a while to get used to this," the clone muttered.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed tiredly before throwing a punch through the insubstantial clone.

The mirage yelped and jumped away from the fist that was piercing his hypothetical torso. If he had been one of his typical clones, the force of the punch would have dispelled him easily. As it was, the clone was only positively traumatized.

"What was that for?!"

"Just checking! Geez, no need to get touchy! You knew what I was going to do!" Naruto yelled.

The clone threw him a raspberry and dispelled himself out of spite in a puff of smoke.

Naruto sighed, "Well, that answers that."

He should have figured it out earlier, though. If the Mystical Palm wasn't indication enough, then this should be irrefutable proof. As a powerhouse, he had been incapable of using this technique in the past, but only because he had too much energy to focus in only one clone. Without Kurama in his gut, the flux of his chakra was more malleable than before. Which brought us back to this. The Mystical Palm required a good grasp in chakra control, that's the first thing Sakura had ingrained into his poor brain cells.

Conclusion? He now had excellent chakra control.

Naruto facepalmed. "Man, I'm an idiot."

Not that it was anything new.

"Baby steps," he whispered, lighting up his fingers with green chakra. "Baby steps," he repeated a bit wistfully.

Kabuto had been a dangerous medic-nin. His regenerative abilities had been a bitch to overcome and his Impure World Reincarnation even more so (he was so burning those scrolls; every mention of that technique would disappear into a fire as soon as he got his hands on it).

But did he really want to imitate his fighting style?

"Regeneration might be useful," he admitted to himself reluctantly. "And those chakra scalpels are actually pretty cool, if I _really_ think about it. But I don't know enough about anatomy to use that kind of ninjutsu successfully."

He remembered thinking of Kabuto and Orochimaru as science-obsessed freaks- still did, in all honesty. Just out of principle, he didn't want to go down that road any time soon (if ever); copying their abilities was, simply put, desperate. Because he knew that this body didn't have instant regeneration. The Fourth Hokage got injured like everyone else, even on the best of his days. For Naruto to match his previous healing rate without bodily being an Uzumaki or a fox container, experimenting on himself seemed the only way to go. However, Naruto couldn't shake the thought that people who experimented with their bodies tended to go insane as fuck as a rule. Heck, a lot of people tended to go insane in this already inane world.

Suddenly, the mental image of him spitting out another copy of himself crossed his mind like a slash of a kunai.

He shivered.

No way in heck he was sinking that low. That was just downright disgusting. He had no idea how Orochimaru could live with himself after experimenting on so many people. Or how Kabuto could be at peace with himself after fucking himself that badly, to the point he had acquired his own set of _scales_. Seriously, what the heck was wrong with those guys?

Naruto sighed. Sure, a little bit of regeneration might be useful… but _let's just not think too much about it, alright?_ What Sakura-chan had taught him would do for now. If the worst comes to pass and he's gravely injured in the middle of a battlefield, he´d have to hope that there's a willing medic-nin somewhere nearby to treat his injuries. Perhaps practice would be enough for him to treat his new teammates' injuries when things got hairy.

Damn, he couldn't believe he was missing being jinchuuriki right now. At least Fuzzball did the job right.

He paused. That word: it literally meant 'human sacrifice'. The whole existence of jinchuurikis spun around the concept of making seals. Most of his freaking life only an intricate seal had prevented the Nine-Tails from surging from his insides and killing him off in the bat of an eye.

Seals. Fuuinjutsu. Minimal chakra usage. Why did he only think about that one only now? Seriously, he had been in this time how long? Five? Almost six? The fact that the idea only popped up this late was testament of his idiocy.

Naruto could have smacked himself again.

"Okay, I'll need tons of ink and several brushes," he muttered to himself. The boy tapped his chin, mentally calculating the quantities of ryo he would have to cut from his monthly allowance in order to buy himself an acceptable amount of writing tools. "And lots, lots of paper," he added as an afterthought.

Hadn't he promised himself that he would recreate his father's Hiraishin when he first woke up as him in this life? The original Minato had been incredibly well-versed with time-space jutsus, with reason. It was like a constant trump card you could abuse in battle; you took your enemies by surprise and guaranteed your victory with a series of quick attacks, which could scarcely be countered because of the sheer speed of it.

And… it was a great way of pull yourself away from a no-win situation.

Naruto's eyes threatened to bulge out of his sockets.

 _That's it!_ The Yellow Flash of Konoha was the finest shinobi the village had ever produced in its history- period! He didn't care if nobody remembered him- his father was the best shinobi to be ever produced!

He _really_ needed that ink right now- like he really needed it! The Academy may not teach fuuinjutsu, but it was bound to mention it if only in passing. Buying ink in the market wouldn't be that much of a hassle, being a soon-to-be student. He could feign some interest in it, which wouldn't be that much of a lie in reality, just to see if he attracted Jiraya's attention. Besides, it helped with his pretense of being a prodigy since he already had all the basis covered!

Maybe he couldn't make a Rasengan to save his life right now, but he had good alternatives to choose from. Modified explosive tags, paralyzing seals, portable weapons… the possibilities were endless! When he had a greater access to the library he would have the chance to get more creative; the more basic seals would have to do for now.

In the meanwhile, he had a technique to recreate.

Naruto frowned and bent on his knees, reaching out with one of his small fingers. The tip of his finger drew a tentative pattern on the ground. The blond looked at it for a moment before sighing in resignation.

"Which were the characters, again?" he asked blankly to the empty field.

His Wind Affinity would have to be enough to get him out of trouble for now.

* * *

 **波風湊**

* * *

"Minato! C'mon, you've got to come down now!"

"I'm not listening to the Hokage drone about the Will of Fire," Naruto retorted curtly, limbs drooping lazily about him from the high branch the highest tree in the Academy Grounds had to offer. "No one said I had to listen to his speech, anyway."

People were gathering around the platform the shinobi had placed in the middle of the field, some looking just as uninterested as he was, in opposition to the newbies, who were absorbed in their eagerness to meet their Hokage.

Araki's childish face pouted, looking quite put off with his attitude.

"There's no way the ninja will let you get away with it!" his friend insisted obstinately. "You'll get caught and you'll be in trouble!"

Naruto looked around him pointedly. Araki didn't catch on, prompting an exasperated sigh from him. "People _know_ I'm here, you know? Ninjas aren't ninja because they gained a title; they've got a set of skills to back it up! They take one look at this tree and they see two orphans messing around and they still don't do anything to drag us over there. As long as we don't do anything fishy, they'll leave us alone."

If possible, the brunet looked even more determined. "But it's the Hokage!"

 _Oh, I know,_ Naruto thought dryly.

"And I'm me," he retorted rather childishly. "I don't see you bowing."

Araki huffed and stomped his feet on the soft grass.

"That's not the point!"

"Just go," Naruto said. His eyes surveyed the scene that extended before him with half-lidded eyes, thanks to the height. People were reduced to mere blurs of individuals from distance alone. Despite that, he knew that he'd recognize the Hokage mantle from afar, but at least the Third's features wouldn't be as recognizable like this. "If you're so eager, then go. Nothing's stopping you and if I do get in trouble then that's my business."

Araki scowled darkly at him. The six-year-old didn't seem to deem him worthy of a response. He just trotted away from his position with tense movements without looking back. Perhaps he thought that this way would persuade Naruto to leave his hideout easier, intimidating him with the threat of his only friend possibly being offended because of his dismissive remarks.

Naruto of course knew that he was being a jerk- and he _would_ apologize to Araki as soon as Jiji was away-; but, really, he wasn't in a mood to be sociable right now (how Araki didn't see that made him twitchy and irritable- and he had no intention of unleashing his unfounded ire on someone who was utterly innocent, if somewhat oblivious; hence the distance). Things suddenly sprung to mind and soured his day today. It didn't help that everything surrounding him was exactly the same as he remembered from his time in the Academy. The place didn't change- period. Even in the past, it was still as dull and monotonous as before. Additionally, the few details that weren't as uninteresting as the rest, depressed him (he was still trying not to look at the swing hanging motionless under him).

Not even his newest friend, whom was so reminiscent of the way he had behaved when he was really a kid, could steer him away from his dark thoughts with his wounds being reopened as they were now. It must drive the other mad with worry, Naruto reflected dryly. The kid had latched onto his side all morning - more than the norm, anyway. What the other saw in a lost cause like him was the biggest mystery in his life so far.

The unintended possibility of seeing the old man again, breathing and, over everything else, _alive_ , had sent him scrambling for cover before he had known the reason behind his panic. Hiruzen's death was a deep wound that had healed at its own pace in the past. But this was now, when he was beginning to see just how many responsibilities were deposited on him because of his failures.

The Third's death may have been old news to him- or even nothing close to that since he knew that he was still alive and kicking-, but it still consisted of a failure. Naruto was wary of his reaction when he finally got to see him in person (more so after understanding the reason why he was behaving so irrationally), so taking steps to prevent a public freak out was in order. It wasn't as if he could explain the reason behind his hypothetical break down. He was certain the seal would prevent him from uttering the truth.

Faraway whispers were quieted down all of the sudden. The sighting of white-red robes on the vicinity proved to be the reason as most of the people under him followed the man's pace as he neared the center of the gathered multitude.

Even from so far, Naruto noticed the old man's hair color, which was a healthy hue of dark brown (from what he gathered, his hair style was still the same, along with that ridiculous-looking goatee that characterized him). He absently wondered if the man's habit of smoking was the reason why he hadn't aged gracefully, because he swore that, if he compared his version of the man he had known in his own time with the actual thing, his skin coloring was so much tanner than in his final years of life. Time hadn't been kind to him, it seemed.

These were his days of glory, however. At present, Hiruzen Sarutobi walked confidently amongst the shinobi ranks and families alike, an imposing figure that unconsciously demanded respect. There was no sign of that telltale shoulder hunch he had been so used to seeing in his childhood. This wasn't the tired war veteran he had known. Jiji was so much better than that now.

Naruto allowed himself to smile softly at him, hidden behind a mass of leaves.

"You were great, old man," he muttered. He blinked away the moisture welling up behind his eyes.

The blond hadn't lied when he had told Araki that he didn't want to listen to the old man's speech. As a prior student of this same Academy, he had attended this kind of congregations every year he attended to his classes. That is until he was bored and no longer desired to be drilled the importance of being shinobi-in-the-making.

Admittedly, it tired people to listen to the same thing year after year, especially when Naruto had been convinced that he was ready to leave the Academy (and if it weren't for that thrice damned Bunshin jutsu, perhaps that may have even been true the first time around…). The annual Hokage speech had been one of the things he had naively hoped to bring to an end when he took the hat.

So he resolved himself to look at the reactions, instead. Adding just the tiniest bit of chakra to his eyes did wonders to his eyesight. He chanced a glanced in Jiji's direction, but only in passing, not willing to risk another mood swing.

The civilian-born children wore by far the most awe-struck expressions in the crowd- a stark contrast in comparison to their clan counterparts. Adult civilians as a rule weren't that much better off than their offspring, judging by the reverential stares, borderline worshipful, that they fixed the leader of the village. Shinobi, as always, listened attentively to every word Sarutobi said.

It was ridiculously easy to identify which people belonged to a clan, particularly to the Aburame, Uchiha (yep, they were very alive at the moment, considering Itachi hadn't even been born yet) and Hyuuga. The two latter ones, with their distinctive features, just screamed 'dangerous doijutsu' and 'stuck-up bastards' at first glance. Arrogance practically poured out of them.

All in all, a paradoxical peaceful setting for a village that was still engaged in the Second Shinobi War.

"… I must commend your determination… in aiding your village, not only in battle, but to protect whoever resides inside of it… As long as you have precious people to protect, you, as the young generation that will precede us… will become our beacon of light in our darkest moments… And for that, I'm very pleased that so many…"

Naruto rolled his eyes. Yeah. That sounded much like what he remembered. Will of Fire.

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Azure stare focusing on the shifting figures to his right, he blinked in bemusement as a trio of children managed to slip away quietly from the crowd.

Of course, when he said 'quietly' that pretty much meant they weren't being sneaky at all.

Curiosity spiked, if only because he was too bored to bother to stay still, Naruto stood languidly on top of his branch and took off after them. He didn't care if anyone picked up his sudden departure, as the assembled shinobi were wont to do, so he didn't even bother to muffle his steps as he jumped about as he followed after them.

When he finally caught up with them, Naruto stopped and sharpened his senses, staring down at them from a respectable distance. At first, he picked up a light buzzing, which was quickly translated into words as he pressed harder. Because of their slow paced stroll, he was forced to slow down as well.

A small part of him wondered what he was doing, stalking academy students when he was supposed to be in the Academy, before the blond timetraveler shrugged it off.

"… might still be at it! Wanna check? Bakako might have caught a squirrel this time!" the only female snickered.

"Nah," a boy with dull brown hair dismissed drolly with a wave of his hand. "Knowing her, she might have trapped herself into her own cage!"

"Wanna bet?"

"Haha, sure! If I win, you oughta buy me dinner this time!"

The girl snorted, "Well then, if I win you will give me 400 ryo!"

"No way," the boy protested weakly. "That's a lot more than a single meal!"

The blonde girl snorted loudly, not bothering to disguise her mockery of him. Naruto whistled appreciatively under his breath when he saw her male companion acquire a shade of red that would put to shame a tomatoes'.

The boy whirled around, sputtering. "Hey, Satoshi! Help me out here, man!"

To his credit, their silent tag along maintained a blank expression in the face of the other's boisterous yelling.

"Don't include me in your lovers spat," he deadpanned, adjusting the frame of his glasses on his face.

That comment prompted a strangled yell from the two of the nameless children, which nearly drowned out another far off in the distance.

"… Did you guys hear that?!"

"Well, duh! There must be a bear nearby or something…"

Naruto was no longer listening to them, his senses tingling with familiarity despite everything. _That_ was a call for help and he would be damned if he ignored it, four-year-old or not.

He took off as fast as he dared, ignoring the children's reaction to his sudden- for them, at least- apparition as he flew straight over their heads.

Months of training had done good to this body, because that leap would have been impossible a few months back. Not to mention, that his speed had improved considerably.

Expanding his senses, the preteen looked for any fluctuations in chakra that would indicate any signs of distress. Sure enough, someone was flaring theirs- it felt distinctively female, though he could be wrong- like a beacon. Fortunately, it was nowhere near the Forest of Death, but it was deep into the woods all the same.

He was mildly aware of the fact that he was being followed by those three kids he had left behind. Paying them no mind, deciding that they wouldn't be able to keep up, he picked up his pace until he was a blur skipping from branch to branch.

Naruto slowed to a stop when he spotted her. A girl was trapped in what appeared to be a cage of twigs and she was struggling against the ruthless assault of a weasel, which was trapped inside as well.

Well, all that panic for nothing, it seemed.

Tentatively, he dropped to the floor, tilting his head to get a good look at the strange girl who continued to ignore his existence in favor of fending off the irate animal.

She sported scratches and marks of bites all over her exposed arms and hands. Very few had made it to her face, fortunately. Her orange hair, which was arranged in two sloppy braids, was in disarray. A pin held precariously onto some of the front locks of her hair, in verge of collapsing onto the ground. Her green dress was no different; tarnished just as bad as her appearance.

"Go away!" she hissed furiously, smacking away from her face the furry fiend. The weasel only yowled back before he launched itself at her, dragging its sharp claws into her arms. The girl cursed loudly and tried to shove it away again with little success. "You freaking prick! I'm going to deep fry you and serve you to the Inuzuka dogs!"

Deciding that the girl had enough, Naruto tugged at the top of the make-shift cage with all the intention of freeing her. It took him two attempts to realize that the contraption wasn't moving. Naruto blew air out of his nose in dismay, rolling up his sleeves just in case.

He'd have to smash it open.

Naruto whistled, hoping to attract the strange girl's attention with the sound.

The girl started and turned slightly to look at him, eyes wide and pleading.

"Hey, you… eh… Girl," he said lamely. "I'm going burst this thing open and get you out of there in a second. Just don't go any near the edges and keep your head down, please."

"What? No… wait! You won't be able to-" the girl protested, arms flailing about as she tried to argue with him and continue to fend off the weasel's attack at the same time.

Ignoring her, Naruto channeled some of his chakra into his fists and brought them down with all his strength. The twig cage rattled ominously for few seconds before it collapsed on itself and over its two former prisoners.

The girl was gaping at him, not registering that her mortal enemy had gotten away.

"That cage was… coated in chakra... How did you…?"

Naruto grinned at her, feeling slightly smug at the girl's confusion.

"A neat trick someone taught me," he said simply. He offered her his hand. "Can you stand?"

The girl flushed, realizing the embarrassing position she was in a little too late. She tried to stand on his shaky feet, ignoring his hand.

"I'm fine," she snapped quietly, her cheeks still aflame. In full height, she looked to be about seven or eight. "I don't need your help."

His smile dropping, Naruto lowered his hand. It fell limply to his side.

"What were you doing?" he asked, honestly curious. One of the other group had mentioned a 'Bakako', so maybe this was her. The blond wondered if she was trying to trap something and she had miscalculated horribly.

"Hunting," she grunted, glaring half-heartedly at him. Since she was taller than him, she towered him and the effect was greater than if he had tried it with her. "Why does a runt like you know chakra?"

Naruto beamed at her.

"Reasons," he hummed brightly. Her face darkened.

"Damn, not another weirdo," she muttered, wincing when one of her fingers was caught in one of her scratches.

For the sake of forsaking a pointless argument, Naruto let the comment pass.

"Listen…?"

"Bachiko," the orangette sighed.

Right. Who on earth would be named 'Bakako'? The literal translation for that was 'idiotic child'. The group he had been tailing mustn't be on great terms with her, if that was the case.

"I'm Minato," Naruto returned affably, this time successfully refraining from flinching. "You should go treat those. The weasel could have been infected with something."

"Like rabies, y'mean?" Bachiko raised her eyebrows at him. She was quite calm for someone who had been attacked. In fact, she looked distinctively unimpressed with his prognosis.

Naruto tilted his head, considering. He opened his mouth to answer when he heard a slight ruffle coming from the right. His newest acquaintance tensed, visibly bristling towards the source of the sound.

Naruto paused.

"Your friends…" he began tentatively, testing his theory. "They will be here soon." Pretty soon, if the chakra signatures he was sensing were any hint of their proximity.

The orangette blinked blankly at him before cursing under her breath.

"Shit!" she exclaimed pulling on her hair out of frustration. She turned her dark stare so that it glowered at him threateningly. Naruto gulped at the sheer ferocity of her expression, suddenly quite conscious of his small build. She looked about to pounce on him should he dare to look at her wrong. "You didn't see me. You don't know me! You didn't see anything!"

Naruto blinked stupidly at the place she had been in, even after she had rushed out of sight.

"Sure," he muttered. The blond boy shrugged neutrally, bending down to pick up the black pin the rude girl had left behind in her desperate flight. He pursed his lips before pocketing the small accessory. He would return it later.

* * *

 **波風湊**

* * *

"Where were you?"

The tone and the attitude both were unwanted. But what bothered him most was that Araki had the balls to be actively hostile when he had already apologized. His repentance had been genuine, but that didn't seem to mean shit to his friend. He had been bugging him for details since the beginning of the class.

"What makes you think I left my tree?" he said brightly, cracking one of his fakest smiles in order to show most of his teeth.

His neighbor snorted.

"You never sit still for too long and you were _late_ ," he said as if that solved anything.

Naruto didn't bother to add to that, pretending that he was paying attention to Hitomi-sensei when in reality he was doing his best not to wince at the wonky shape of the map she was drawing for them. It was all good and dandy that she was teaching basic geography to children, but he doubted he would need a revision of that kind.

"Well?"

 _Well, what, brat?_ his mind snapped back, but Naruto stubbornly continued to avert his gaze from his beseeching dull eyes.

"You're not going to answer me?"

 _Nope._

Araki huffed in frustration at his silence. The orphan started tapping the end of his pencil against their table, not bothering to conceal his irritation with him as he did so.

 _Thud, thud, thud…_

Minutes passed and Naruto was only vaguely aware that he was developing a twitch in his eye the longer this continued. Combined with the dullness of the actual class, the blond preteen felt ready to snap.

"Just drop it, okay?" he hissed under his breath.

The brunet smirked vindictively and made no sign of stopping.

 _Thud, thudthudthud **thudthud** …_

 ** _Thud!_**

 _No, Naruto. You can't kill someone for being a nuisance- even if it is a self-righteous, conceited brat!_

He slammed both hands onto his desk, standing abruptly from his seat. Instantly, his classroom teacher's attention was on him. She raised both of her pale eyebrows at him.

"Yes, Minato-kun?" she asked sweetly.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" he asked quietly, hands fisted on both sides.

The kunoichi's eyes did a cursory glance in Araki's direction, something that didn't escape his notice, however brief it was.

"Sure," Hitomi-sensei allowed with a small smile. "Be sure to wash your hands after you finish, okay?"

He nodded, rising to his feet, making sure of not rushing things so as not to appear too desperate in his exit.

"Ah, and Minato-kun?" His teacher stopped him for a moment in passing, her voice not lower than a soft murmur. "I'd like to talk to you after class, please."

Naruto only responded with the smallest of nods before walking out of the classroom.

* * *

 **波風 湊**

* * *

"You weren't paying attention in class."

Naruto refrained from reacting to Hitomi-sensei's reprimanding tone, like any kid his age would have. Refusing to back down, he met her beseeching gaze evenly, gauging from her body language if the reprimand was as serious as her tone suggested. In a civilian, that simple trick might have worked; alas, the woman was a shinobi and an experienced one at that, so he didn't gather as much intel as he would have liked.

The blond nodded unashamedly. Seeing that he had nothing to say to her accusation, Hitomi-sensei pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes with a sigh.

Finally, she recovered her composure. "Do you dislike geography?" she asked lightly, crouching to his eye level to emulate a sense of intimacy with him. "My teaching methods may be a little different from what you would have expected, but you need to make an effort to learn or this will never work, Minato-kun."

Again with the 'Minato-kun'. Her body language was warm and inviting and her voice was levelled and soothing. _Damn_ , she was good. She must attract kids like flies to honey. The timetraveler could see why she was assigned to First Year.

"But I already know," he said just as lightly. He kept his eyes wide, emphasizing the cute factor as much as he could without actually pushing it. It was surprisingly easy to act less his age; or maybe not as surprising considering his own mastery over his own body language.

Hitomi-sensei's hazel eyes narrowed just a fraction. "What do you mean 'you already know'?"

 _Exactly what it sounds like, lady._ He shook off the urge to roll his eyes.

"I already know geography," he said.

The kunoichi stared at him for a long moment. "Show me," she finally demanded.

So he did.

She took out a small map from her pocket. It was a basic map, but the characters it had in it were mostly in code. With the exception of a few locations, very few cities and rivers in Fire Country, the rest of the elements inside the map were illegible to Naruto.

That was exactly what she was looking for.

"Point me where Shimogakure is," Hitomi-sensei order with rare intensity.

Naruto paused only momentarily before he traced his finger right into the middle of the Land of Frost.

"Valley of the End," was the other implicit command.

Fire Country. Where he intercepted Sasuke. The blond took pride in the fact that his finger wasn't trembling when located the valley.

Hitomi-sensei's eyebrows furrowed in thought. She snapped her fingers. "Uzushiogakure," she said with an air of finality about her.

This time Naruto froze.

Sensing his hesitation, his new teacher sighed with barely concealed disappointment. Before she could dismiss the whole thing, however, Naruto spoke up again.

"Found it," he announced tightly.

She checked. Sure enough, he had been right on mark again. A beaming grin split the young kunoichi's face and Naruto knew that he had passed her little test.

"You're correct," she said softly. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Well then, tell me more of what you know, my dear intelligent student."

Naruto told her. Using his textbooks excuse, he briefed her little bits about genjutsu, ninjutsu and what he knew of the history of the village. After he was done, Hitomi-sensei asked him to do some katas for demonstration. He performed the practical easily, thanking whatever deity watching over him that he had bothered to relearn the academy's style again.

Sometimes, it paid off to be a bookworm.

At the end of his little demonstration, his teacher looked deep in thought. Her keen eyes examined him closely, as if she was measuring him with her eyes. Then her features blanked, expertly hiding her emotions behind a cool mask.

"How old are you, Minato?" she asked. He took note of the sudden absence of the honorific.

He tilted his head to a side, inwardly wondering if she'd have a heart attack if he told her that he was nineteen. Probably not. He decided to be honest, at least in the physical aspect.

"Four," he answered truthfully. The 'why' was mostly implicit on his part.

Her eyes sharpened for a split of second before falling back to her unreadable mask.

"Considering everything," she said slowly, folding the topographic map until she could hide it away from sight. "I can't teach you anything from this year's curriculum, seeing that you already know everything that I'm entitled to teach you. The Academy as a whole might not have anything else to offer you either now that I think about it. I don't see why I shouldn't let you skip ahead, though I must warn you that the transition may be uncomfortable for you. Don't you have friends here you want to stay with?"

Naruto thought of Araki and his vindictive behavior in class. He had no intention of going through that again. The kid needed to grow up a little bit. If he got like that because he didn't comply with his whims, then he wasn't willing to be around him anymore. Besides, he would die from boredom and go stir crazy from the lack of action if he stayed. In the Academy, you got started with taijutsu in third Year and not a second before that. First and second years practiced some physical exercises from time to time, but they mostly struggled with theory until they mastered some form of it (theory that he already knew, thank you very much).

It wasn't that hard of a choice, really.

Hitomi-sensei must have seen his resolve because she grabbed his hand and started dragging him to the door. At his bewildered look, she explained, "I don't have enough jurisdiction to let you skip ahead without discussing some of the details with Administration. You'll have to fill a form if you want to go anywhere with this."

It was really convenient having the Hokage Tower just around the corner. The chuunin that was present at the front desk was gracious enough to attend to them immediately, giving them both the forms that were necessary for the procedure. They both finished them in record time.

The chuunin checked the answers, peering down in surprise at him after he read his teacher's observations.

"You're one of them, aren't 'cha, squirt?"

Well, people were jumping to conclusions already. From the snort coming next to him, it was apparent that Hitomi-sensei didn't appreciate the off-handed comment. The chuunin didn't look the least repentant, much to her ire.

The shinobi returned to his lecture, his face scrunching in concentration as more bits of information revealed more of the situation.

"Wow, oh Kami… I'm afraid I can't let him graduate," was the final decision. The ninja recoiled from the look the kunoichi fixed him with. Naruto was sure that his own expression had cooled a few notches.

"Why not?" fumed the woman, slamming down both of her hands on his desk.

The chuunin swallowed thickly.

"He's too young! He doesn't meet the age requirements!"

"Then put him in fourth year, you dumb oaf!"

The chuunin opened his mouth to retort, then stopped short of doing anything. He blinked a couple of times. "Actually… that might work."

Naruto almost felt giddy. This was going better than he could have ever hoped! And he hadn't done a thing!

"Then I'll transfer you to fourth year," the shinobi muttered thoughtfully, scribbling something onto a white sheet of paper. "Give this sheet to Yashino Uchiha. He'll know what to do."

The blond's eagerness was painfully forced down by a wave of dread crashing on him.

 _Uchiha? What the fuck is an Uchiha doing here, posing as a teacher?_

* * *

 **-3-**

 **Patching Up**

* * *

 **WARNING:** Some of you might recognize several names I will add to this story. They aren't entirely coincidental; some of them are from Hyssopus, from her piece **The choices make up history** (I would recommend reading it since this story was inspired by it). Now, I will just borrow the names, what I do with those characters will differ greatly from what happened to them originally (or not, if I'm in the mood). I'm not trying to rip the author off or anything. These characters will be cameos at best and will help the story progress, nothing more, nothing less.

 **Yashino Uchiha is one of these characters.**

.

.

Warning aside, I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long. I did my best writing more than I usually do. If I have a delayed update, though, I will probably compensate by adding length to the chapter in question. My updating schedule is purely erratic and I won't apologize if I go months without updating.

 _Please leave your reviews as you finish._ I want to hear suggestions about what you want Naruto to change (be reasonable, please). I have my own agenda, but I will listen if I deem your suggestions good enough.

* * *

List of jutsus (if a character uses it in battle I will put it in Japanese)

 **Rasengan:** self-explanatory

 **Kage Bunshin:** Shadow Clone

 **Bunshin no jutsu:** Clone/Doppleganger Technique

 **Mystical Palm:** known as Shōsen Jutsu in Japanese.

Naruto used **Chakra Enhanced Strength** while training and when it came to crack open the twig cage.


End file.
